The Rise of a Forgotten Killer
by Elriclover
Summary: Even after the master is gone, the apprentice shall rise and take revenge on those responsible for his death. It's Ed and Mustang's job to catch a new, yet old, criminal, even if it drags in the people Ed cares for. . .
1. Chapter 1

Prolouge

"Well if it isn't "Hero Of The People", Edward Elric. What brings you to our humdrum headquarters?" Mustang joked as Ed plopped down on the couch in Roy's new office.

"You know why I'm here Mustang. I have to fill out that report you assigned me. I just decided to come early to check up on how your promotion to Brigadier General is going. How's the extra work?" Ed said sarcastically.

"I see you've already heard, Fullmetal, about the old Brigadier's death. It was a great misfortune. I'm just glad that I was next on the Fuhrer's list for promotion."

"It might have been a great misfortune for some, but for you it was nothing but good luck. And now you're actually getting somewhere!" Fullmetal laughed.

"Don't get cocky, Edward. You're rank is still equal to Major. Compared to Roy, you've still got a ways to go," Hawkeye said, walking in.

"Well, I see the promotion to Captain hasn't changed you're cheerful demeanor, Lieuten . . . I mean Captain Hawkeye," Edward sighed, "This is gonna take some time to get used to."

"So, Edward, Any luck on finding the "Stone of Heaven"?" Mustang said, leaning back in his chair.

"Well, that lead we got gave us some useful info."

"Really?"

"No. It was another fraud. I can't believe how many people want the stone for their own selfish purposes."

"Like yourselves?" Mustang smirked.

"I've told you a hundred times, we deserve the stone more than those greedy gold-obsessed people and we'll only use it twice; once for Al's body and once for my arm. Then we'll destroy it."

"Oh, don't be so selfish. There are many other good uses for the stone. Not to mention how much money one could get from selling it," Mustang mused.

"Yeah, yeah. All we need is another great weapon that could destroy us all." "Right, so what are you going to do now?"

"Well . . ." Edward started to say until Mustang smirked.

"It was a rhetorical question, Fullmetal. I already have the answer. You, my small subordinate, are going to help me solve a mystery."

"What? Why you can't stop being a Jackass?" Ed murmured.

Mustang rose from his seat, pulled a picture from a file on his desk, and walked over to Edward, "Do you know how the old Brigadier was murdered?"

"No. But they say that the person they think killed him has killed before."

"And do you know why they think that?"

"Nope."

"Well, you'll agree with them when you see this photo taken at the seen of the crime."

"Really? What makes you so sure?" Edward asked, raising an eyebrow in suspision.

"Because you were apart of it," Roy said, handing Ed the picture, "It happened the day you quit being a state alchemist."

"When was that?" said Edward, still looking at Roy.

"Only a while after you started."

Then Ed looked at the picture and he soon remembered. The body was sliced and diced in a way Edward had only seen once. In the victim's of Barry the Chopper.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Investigation of a New Life

"Do they really think it's him?" Edward said, still staring at the picture, "Because it couldn't be! He was killed by Scar. Al and I . . ."

"It's okay Ed, we know for a fact it's not him," Mustang interrupted, handing Ed another piece of paper, but this time it was creased, as if it had been folded, "This proves it. It was found in the Brigadier's unharmed hand."

"You just confuse me. "_This had nothing to do with the Brigadier. He's just a messenger and example of what's to come. Now that the Master Butcher is gone, it's time for the apprentice to come out of the darkness and avenge her Teacher's death. I'll be coming for his killers next, as well as some unfinished business. 'Til my knife meets your flesh, Night Blade._ Well isn't that nice. We have another serial killer on the loose!"

"And guess who their targets are?"

"Who?"

"You, Al, Scar, and possibly Winry."

"What?! What about you guys? You captured him!" Edward yelled in dismay.

"But in Night Blade's eyes, you and Al lead us to him and Scar killed him."

"What about Winry?"

"Obviously "unfinished business" means that since Barry couldn't kill her the first time, Night Blade's going to finish the job."

"Right."

"So, your family's at stake and so are you but it's your job to catch this killer. What will you do next?"

"I'm gonna take a leap and go to Barry's old shop. Who runs it now?""A girl by the name of Kate. We already checked her out. She had an alibi for the night of the killing. She was out here bringing in flower deliveries. Her roses are the best in town! I should know."

"Yeah, yeah, you get millions a day, blah, blah, blah. But did she work at the butcher shop with Barry before . . . well, you know," Ed sighed.

"Yes, yes Fullmetal. It's hard to forget. But why go again? We already checked her out. She's home free. And what makes you so sure it could be her?"

"Well, she's the only female connection to Barry the Chopper we have," Ed replied handing Roy the note and heading for the door.

"That doesn't answer my question, Fullmetal," Roy said, grabbing his jacket and following Edward.

"_It's time for the apprentice to come out of the darkness and avenge **HER** Teacher's death. _She wrote it out in plain words. I'm surprised you didn't notice it yourself, Brigadier Mustang."

Mustang read the note again and smirked, "I am, too."

A half hour later, Ed and Roy pulled up to Barry's old shop, now renamed "Kate's Flower Garden".

"So you weren't kidding when you said flower shop, were you?"

They walked in to a room of shelves stacked high with every color flower that seemed possible.

"Well," Roy said, "she seems to be out for a moment. Should we stay and wait? All the bright colors make it very comfy." He sat by a shelf full of violets and lilies and sighed, "It's nice to be away from the office."

"You do that, but I know she's here. The sign says open and . . . Hello! What's this?" Ed said as he looked behind the front desk. "She seems to have a nick for her old employer. She has a whole album of pictures of him!" Edward said, flipping through the yellowed pages.

"Who?" Roy said, zoning back in to reality.

"Jeeze! You're out of it today! Barry the Chopper! All that work must be seriously hard on you . . ."

"Yeah, Uh huh, right, of course . . ." Roy said, dozing of again.

"Okay, so were is she?" Ed whispered as he closed the book, not being mindful of where his hand fell. Right on top of the "Customer Service" bell. It rang out and Ed tensed up. "There goes my element of surprise," he mumbled to himself. Soon, light footsteps could be heard coming from the back of the shop.

"J- J-Just a moment!" a shy voice yelled. Then, from behind the shelves, a girl of about 13 came out to the front desk, put the large album in a drawer, locked it, and put on a weak smile for Edward, saying, "W-Welcome! How may I help you?"

Edward suddenly doubted his theory. How could such a meek girl commit such heinous crimes? Then he noticed the dark red stain on her apron.

I know people are reading this so I ask kindly, PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! R&R! I hope you do, please! (And maybe check out some of my other stories from my profile? Just asking!)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2:

A Timid Murderess?

"Um, excuse me, but you did ring the service bell, right?" said the girl. Her brown hair was pulled back into a long braid and her green eyes seemed like emeralds in the sunlight from the front windows. But Edward didn't have time to notice such trivial detail when he was staring the proof he needed right in the face. The red stain on her apron seemed new and it was dark in color, but he new better than to jump to conclusions.

"Well, it was sort of an accident that I hit it. But I was just wonderi . . ." Edward started to explain, but then Mustang caught her eye.

"Oh! Brigadier Mustang! I was just going to call you!" the girl said, running to the back for something. She brought back a large bouquet of flowers and handed them to Mustang, who was awakened by the commotion.

"Thank you, Katie! Is there a card, too?"

"No. This one was from one of the secret admirers! She was awfully pretty, too!"

"Really?" asked Mustang, now fully awake, "What did she look like?"

"She had semi-long blonde hair and pretty golden eyes!"

"Like his?" Mustang said playfully, pointing at Edward, who wrathfully flipped him off, but Katie didn't notice.

"No. Her eyes were darker and her stare was really strong. It seemed like she knew you." A face of shock and surprise passed over Roy's face for a split second but he shook it of.

"Alright, Katie. I'll be sure to look for her! But I think my friend Edward over there has some more questions for you."

"Yes, I do! Well, I did, but right now all I want to know is where that red stain on your apron came from," Edward said, pointing at the large spot on her shoulder.

"Oh! Um, well, yeah, about that, I . . . ummmm . . ." Katie said, trying to think of something, but soon she just gave up. "Okay," she sighed, walking towards the back of the store, "Follow me, please." Edward stayed close behind her while Mustang stumbled along somewhere behind.

They got to a rusty steel door.

"Edward," Mustang said moving out of the way of the door, "Would you do the honors?" Ed, unsure of what he would find, grabbed the doorknob. It was ice cold. Then he remembered the cooler. Images flashed into his head. The dead pigs hanging from the ceiling, Winry chained just the same, the sight of his breath as he ran from the butcher through the maze of frozen dead animals. The fear, the panic, the feeling of relying only on instinct, it all came back. He released the knob and stepped back for a second, shaking off the memories, sending them to back of his mind to be kept from returning for a while.

"Sir, you okay?" Katie said looking at him a little worriedly.

"Yeah, it's nothing. Alright, let's do this," he said grabbing the doorknob again and pushing the door wide. A gush of frozen air flew out the door, blowing Ed's and Kate's hair back. Mustang walked in, refreshed by the cool breeze, but as soon as he stepped inside he could do nothing more than stare in shock at the scene before him.

Blood-drained animals still hung from the rafters, but smaller ones such as goats and calves. The gutted creatures were hanging lower from the ceiling than before, but Mustang and Edward guessed it was because of their newfound suspect's height. As they looked about, they saw a table in the middle of it all, covered in an assortment of sharp various sized knives.

Edward fell to his knees as the memories returned again. He was relentlessly attacked by them and was knocked into a mental coma. Mustang just stood, bewildered by his ignorance to see behind Kate's cute face and charm. Suddenly, a something grabbed Mustang's jacket. In the spilt second it took him to turn around, he'd pulled the glove from his pocket and slipped it on. He held his hand threateningly at the figure who had surprised him, Kate. She stood, crying in front of him, with her hand still on his jacket, tugging at it weakly.

"Sir," she whimpered, "your friend isn't moving and I can't get him to say anything! You need to help him! Please!"

Mustang still stood in attack mode as she cried in front of him, his eyes sharp with fear and confusion. His eyes then turned to Ed and the quivering form that he'd become. He was still confused, but Edward needed help fast so he handcuffed Kate's wrist to his own, tossed Edward over his shoulder, carried Kate under his arm and ran out to his car.

He placed Edward in the back seat of the car outside and threw Kate in the passenger's seat next to him as he started up the car and raced to the military hospital.

Please review! I just got back to typing so I am working as hard as I can to type my chapters and still enjoy my vacation AND finish my summer reading assignment! So no hatin'!!!


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